Determining propagation delay of communications in distributed antenna systems, and related components, systems, and methods

ABSTRACT

Components, systems, and methods for determining propagation delay of communications in distributed antenna systems are disclosed. The propagation delay of communications signals distributed in the distributed antenna systems is determined. If desired, the propagation delay(s) can be determined on a per remote antenna unit basis for the distributed antenna systems. The propagation delay(s) can provided by the distributed antenna systems to a network or other system to be taken into consideration for communications services or operations that are based on communications signal delay. As another non-limiting example, propagation delay can be determined and controlled for each remote antenna unit to uniquely distinguish the remote antenna units. In this manner, the location of a client device communicating with a remote antenna unit can be determined within the communication range of the remote antenna unit.

PRIORITY CLAIMS

This application is a continuation application of and claims priority toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/936,007 filed on Nov. 9, 2015, nowissued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,369,222, which is a continuation applicationof and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/062,289filed on Oct. 24, 2013, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,184,843, whichclaims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §365 of InternationalPatent Application Serial No. PCT/US12/34853 filed on Apr. 25, 2012designating the United States of America, which in turn claims thebenefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/480,700 filed on Apr. 29, 2011, the contents ofwhich are relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser.No. 12/914,585 filed on Oct. 28, 2010, entitled “SECTORIZATION INDISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEMS, AND RELATED COMPONENTS AND METHODS,” nowU.S. Pat. No. 8,548,330, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Disclosure

The technology of the disclosure relates to determining propagationdelay in distributed radio frequency (RF) communications signalscommunicated over optical fiber in distributed antenna systems.

Technical Background

Wireless communication is rapidly growing, with ever-increasing demandsfor high-speed mobile data communication. As an example, so-called“wireless fidelity” or “WiFi” systems and wireless local area networks(WLANs) are being deployed in many different types of areas (e.g.,coffee shops, airports, libraries, etc.). Distributed antenna systemscommunicate with wireless devices called “clients” (e.g., for WiFiservices) or “user equipment” (e.g., for cellular services) which mustreside within the wireless range or “cell coverage area” in order tocommunicate with an access point device.

One approach to deploying a distributed antenna system involves the useof radio frequency (RF) antenna coverage areas, also referred to as“antenna coverage areas.” Antenna coverage areas can have a radius inthe range from a few meters up to twenty meters as an example. Combininga number of access point devices creates an array of antenna coverageareas. Because the antenna coverage areas each cover small areas, thereare typically only a few users (clients) per antenna coverage area. Thisallows for minimizing the amount of RF bandwidth shared among thewireless system users. It may be desirable to provide antenna coverageareas in a building or other facility to provide distributed antennasystem access to clients within the building or facility. However, itmay be desirable to employ optical fiber to distribute communicationssignals. Benefits of optical fiber include increased bandwidth.

One type of distributed antenna system for creating antenna coverageareas, called “Radio-over-Fiber” or “RoF,” utilizes RF signals sent overoptical fibers. Such systems can include head-end equipment opticallycoupled to a plurality of remote antenna units that each providesantenna coverage areas. The remote antenna units can each include RFtransceivers coupled to an antenna to transmit RF signals wirelessly,wherein the remote antenna units are coupled to the head-end equipmentvia optical fiber links. The RF transceivers in the remote antenna unitsare transparent to the RF signals. The remote antenna units convertincoming optical RF signals from an optical fiber downlink to electricalRF signals via optical-to-electrical (O/E) converters, which are thenpassed to the RF transceiver. The RF transceiver converts the electricalRF signals to electromagnetic signals via antennas coupled to the RFtransceiver provided in the remote antenna units. The antennas alsoreceive electromagnetic signals (i.e., electromagnetic radiation) fromclients in the antenna coverage area and convert them to electrical RFsignals (i.e., electrical RF signals in wire). The remote antenna unitsthen convert the electrical RF signals to optical RF signals viaelectrical-to-optical (E/O) converters. The optical RF signals are thensent over an optical fiber uplink to the head-end equipment.

It may be desired to provide such optical fiber-based distributedcommunications systems indoors, such as inside a building or otherfacility, to provide indoor wireless communication for clients.Otherwise, wireless reception may be poor or not possible for wirelesscommunication clients located inside the building. In this regard, theremote antenna units can be distributed throughout locations inside abuilding to extend wireless communication coverage throughout thebuilding. However, other services may be affected. For example, cellularcommunications protocols may be based on time based protocols. However,distributing cellular communications to remote antenna units inside abuilding or other environment can increase delay or introduce pathdependent variability of observed delays due to the propagation delay ofthe communications signals being distributed to the remote antenna unitsand responses received at the remote antenna units being distributedback to head-end equipment. If the delay(s) exceeds a certain level, thebandwidth of the communications system may be reduced. Other undesiredeffects can also result from delay exceeding certain levels, includinginterference. As another example, providing localization services for aclient, such as emergency 911 (E911) services, may be determined orcalculated based on over-the-air delay between communications from aclient and a communications tower. However, if the client iscommunicating over a distributed antenna system, the propagation delayof the distributed antenna system increases the delay thus possiblyresulting in an incorrect determination of a location of the client.

Delay can be compensated for in a cellular communications system, butthe cellular communications system may be unaware of indoor distributedantenna systems that increase the delay as a result of propagationdelay. Also, a cellular communications system may provide for theability to set a flag or other indicator to indicate that distributedantenna systems are present in coverage areas for communicationsantennas or towers. However, this setting may only provide for theability of the cellular communications system to approximate additionalpropagation delay present which may not be accurate.

SUMMARY OF THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments disclosed in the detailed description include components,systems, and methods for determining propagation delay of communicationsin distributed antenna systems. The propagation delay of communicationssignals distributed in the distributed antenna systems is determined. Ifdesired, the propagation delay(s) can be determined on a per remoteantenna unit basis for the distributed antenna systems. The propagationdelay(s) can be provided by the distributed antenna systems to a networkor other system to be taken into consideration for communicationsservices or operations that are based on communications signal delay.Delay based operations may be made more effective, efficient, and/oraccurate by knowing the propagation delay experienced in a distributedantenna system.

As a non-limiting example, the determined propagation delay(s) can be tobe taken into consideration for communications services or operationsthat are based on communications signal delay. As another non-limitingexample, the propagation delay(s) may be associated with communicationantennas or towers that are mapped and stored in a database(s) to beused for communications services or operations based on communicationssignal delay. As another non-limiting example, the arrangement of thebase station, repeaters, or communication towers in a network may berepositioned based on the determined propagation delay. As anothernon-limiting example, propagation delay can be determined and controlledfor each remote antenna unit to be uniquely distinguish the remoteantenna units. In this manner, the location of a client devicecommunicating with a remote antenna unit can be determined within thecommunication range of the remote antenna unit.

In this regard, in one embodiment, a distributed antenna system isprovided. The system comprises at least one downlink radio frequency(RF) interface configured to receive downlink RF signals and distributethe downlink RF signals over at least one downlink communications mediumto one or more remote antenna units (RAUs). This system also comprisesat least one uplink RF interface configured to receive uplink RF signalsover at least one uplink communications medium from the one or moreRAUs. This system also comprises at least one propagation delaymeasurement circuit communicatively coupled to the at least one downlinkRF interface and the at least one uplink RF interface and configured tomeasure propagation delay between the distribution of the downlink RFsignals by the at least one downlink RF interface and the receipt of thedownlink RF signals as uplink RF signals by the at least one uplink RFinterface. This system also comprises a controller communicativelycoupled to the at least one propagation delay measurement circuit. Thiscontroller is configured to communicate to an RAU among the one or moreRAUs to return received downlink RF signals as uplink RF signals to theat least one uplink RF interface. This controller is also configured toactivate the at least one downlink RF interface to distribute thereceived downlink RF signals to the RAU among the one or more RAUs. Thiscontroller is also configured to determine the propagation delay as afunction of delay between the at least one downlink RF interface and theRAU among the one or more RAUs, and as a function of delay between theRAU among the one or more RAUs and the at least one uplink RF interfacefrom the at least one propagation delay measurement circuit.

In another embodiment, a method of determining propagation delay in adistributed antenna system is provided. This method includescommunicating to a remote antenna unit (RAU) among one or more RAUs toreturn received downlink radio frequency (RF) signals from at least onedownlink RF interface as uplink RF signals to at least one uplink RFinterface. The method also includes activating the at least one downlinkRF interface to distribute the received downlink RF signals to the RAUamong the one or more RAUs. This method also includes distributing thedownlink RF signals to the RAU among the one or more RAUs over at leastone downlink communications medium. This method also includes receivingthe distributed downlink RF signals as the uplink RF signals from theRAU among the one or more RAUs over at least one uplink communicationsmedium. This method also includes determining propagation delay using atleast one propagation delay measurement circuit as a function of delaybetween the at least one downlink RF interface and the RAU among the oneor more RAUs, and as a function of delay between the RAU among the oneor more RAUs and the at least one uplink RF interface.

As a non-limiting example, the distributed antenna system may be anoptical fiber-based distributed antenna system, but such is notrequired. The embodiments disclosed herein are also applicable to otherdistributed antenna systems, including those that include other forms ofcommunications media for distribution of communications signals,including electrical conductors and wireless transmission. Theembodiments disclosed herein may also be applicable to distributedantenna system may also include more than one communications media fordistribution of communications signals.

Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detaileddescription which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing theembodiments as described herein, including the detailed description thatfollows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

The drawings illustrate various embodiments, and together with thedescription serve to explain the principles and operation of theconcepts disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary optical fiber-baseddistributed antenna system;

FIG. 2 is a more detailed schematic diagram of exemplary head-endequipment and a remote antenna unit (RAU) that can be deployed in theoptical fiber-based distributed antenna system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially schematic cut-away diagram of an exemplarybuilding infrastructure in which the optical fiber-based distributedantenna system in FIG. 1 can be employed;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of exemplary head-end equipment to provideradio frequency (RF) communication services over optical fiber to RAUsor other remote communications devices in an optical fiber-baseddistributed antenna system;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary distributed antenna systemwith alternative equipment to provide RF communication services overoptical fiber and digital data services as electrical signals to RAUs orother remote communications devices in an optical fiber-baseddistributed antenna system;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of providing digital data services aselectrical signals and RF communication services over optical fiber toRAUs or other remote communications devices in the optical fiber-baseddistributed antenna system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary distributed antenna systemillustrating propagation delays present in the distributed antennasystem;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary distributed antenna systemconfigured to communicate tracking signals to tracking RAUs to providelocalization services for client devices;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of determining total propagation delaywithin the exemplary distributed antenna system in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process of measuringtotal propagation delay within the exemplary distributed antenna systemin FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11A-11E are schematic diagrams of exemplary propagation delaymeasurement circuits used for determining propagation delay in adistributed antenna system;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of determining propagation delay ofoptical fiber within an exemplary optical fiber-based distributedantenna system;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of providing additional propagation delayin an exemplary optical fiber-based distributed antenna system; and

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a generalized representation of anexemplary computer system that can be included in any of the modulesprovided in the exemplary distributed antenna systems and/or theircomponents described herein, including but not limited to a head endcontroller (HEC), wherein the exemplary computer system is adapted toexecute instructions from an exemplary computer-readable media.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which some, butnot all embodiments are shown. Indeed, the concepts may be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limiting herein;rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. Whenever possible, like referencenumbers will be used to refer to like components or parts.

Embodiments disclosed in the detailed description include components,systems, and methods for determining propagation delay of communicationsin distributed antenna systems. The propagation delay of communicationssignals distributed in the distributed antenna systems is determined. Ifdesired, the propagation delay(s) can be determined on a per remoteantenna unit basis for the distributed antenna systems. The propagationdelay(s) can be provided by the distributed antenna systems to a networkor other system to be taken into consideration for communicationsservices or operations that are based on communications signal delay.Delay based operations may be made more effective, efficient, and/oraccurate by knowing the propagation delay experienced in a distributedantenna system.

As a non-limiting example, the determined propagation delay(s) can be tobe taken into consideration for communications services or operationsthat are based on communications signal delay. As another non-limitingexample, the propagation delay(s) may be associated with communicationantennas or towers that are mapped and stored in a database(s) to beused for communications services or operations based on communicationssignal delay. As another non-limiting example, the arrangement of thebase station, repeaters, or communication towers in a network may berepositioned based on the determined propagation delay. As anothernon-limiting example, propagation delay can be determined and controlledfor each remote antenna unit to be uniquely distinguish the remoteantenna units. In this manner, the location of a client devicecommunicating with a remote antenna unit can be determined within thecommunication range of the remote antenna unit.

Before discussing examples of distributed antenna systems that determinepropagation delay of communications signals distributed within thedistributed antenna systems, exemplary distributed antenna systemscapable of distributing communications signals to distributed or remoteantenna units is first described with regard to FIGS. 1-6. Embodimentsof determining propagation delay of communications signals distributedin distributed antenna systems starts at FIG. 7. The distributed antennasystems in FIGS. 1-6 discussed below include distribution of radiofrequency (RF) communications signals, but the distributed antennasystems are not limited to distribution of RF communications signals.Further, the distributed antenna systems in FIGS. 1-6 discussed belowinclude distribution of communications signals over optical fiber, butthe distributed antenna systems are not limited to distribution overoptical fiber.

In this regard, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of adistributed antenna system. In this embodiment, the system is an opticalfiber-based distributed antenna system 10. The optical fiber-baseddistributed antenna system 10 is configured to create one or moreantenna coverage areas for establishing communications with wirelessclient devices located in the RF range of the antenna coverage areas.The optical fiber-based distributed antenna system 10 provides RFcommunication services (e.g., cellular services). In this embodiment,the optical fiber-based distributed antenna system 10 includes head-endequipment (HEE) 12 such as a head-end unit (HEU), one or more remoteantenna units (RAUs) 14, and an optical fiber 16 that optically couplesthe HEE 12 to the RAU 14. The RAU 14 is a type of remote communicationsunit. In general, a remote communications unit can support wirelesscommunications, wired communications, or both. The RAU 14 can supportwireless communications and may also support wired communications. TheHEE 12 is configured to receive communications over downlink electricalRF signals 18D from a source or sources, such as a network or carrier asexamples, and provide such communications to the RAU 14. The HEE 12 isalso configured to return communications received from the RAU 14, viauplink electrical RF signals 18U, back to the source or sources. In thisregard in this embodiment, the optical fiber 16 includes at least onedownlink optical fiber 16D to carry signals communicated from the HEE 12to the RAU 14 and at least one uplink optical fiber 16U to carry signalscommunicated from the RAU 14 back to the HEE 12.

One downlink optical fiber 16D and one uplink optical fiber 16U could beprovided to support multiple channels each using wave-divisionmultiplexing (WDM), as discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/892,424 entitled “Providing Digital Data Services in OpticalFiber-based Distributed Radio Frequency (RF) Communications Systems, AndRelated Components and Methods,” incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. Other options for WDM and frequency-division multiplexing(FDM) are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/892,424, anyof which can be employed in any of the embodiments disclosed herein.Further, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/892,424 also disclosesdistributed digital data communications signals in a distributed antennasystem which may also be distributed in the optical fiber-baseddistributed antenna system 10 either in conjunction with RFcommunications signals or not.

The optical fiber-based distributed antenna system 10 has an antennacoverage area 20 that can be disposed about the RAU 14. The antennacoverage area 20 of the RAU 14 forms an RF coverage area 21. The HEE 12is adapted to perform or to facilitate any one of a number ofRadio-over-Fiber (RoF) applications, such as RF identification (RFID),wireless local-area network (WLAN) communication, or cellular phoneservice. Shown within the antenna coverage area 20 is a client device 24in the form of a mobile device as an example, which may be a cellulartelephone as an example. The client device 24 can be any device that iscapable of receiving RF communications signals. The client device 24includes an antenna 26 (e.g., a wireless card) adapted to receive and/orsend electromagnetic RF signals.

With continuing reference to FIG. 1, to communicate the electrical RFsignals over the downlink optical fiber 16D to the RAU 14, to in turn becommunicated to the client device 24 in the antenna coverage area 20formed by the RAU 14, the HEE 12 includes an electrical-to-optical (E/O)converter 28. The E/O converter 28 converts the downlink electrical RFsignals 18D to downlink optical RF signals 22D to be communicated overthe downlink optical fiber 16D. The RAU 14 includes anoptical-to-electrical (O/E) converter 30 to convert received downlinkoptical RF signals 22D back to electrical RF signals to be communicatedwirelessly through an antenna 32 of the RAU 14 to client devices 24located in the antenna coverage area 20.

Similarly, the antenna 32 is also configured to receive wireless RFcommunications from client devices 24 in the antenna coverage area 20.In this regard, the antenna 32 receives wireless RF communications fromclient devices 24 and communicates electrical RF signals representingthe wireless RF communications to an E/O converter 34 in the RAU 14. TheE/O converter 34 converts the electrical RF signals into uplink opticalRF signals 22U to be communicated over the uplink optical fiber 16U. AnO/E converter 36 provided in the HEE 12 converts the uplink optical RFsignals 22U into uplink electrical RF signals, which can then becommunicated as uplink electrical RF signals 18U back to a network orother source. The HEE 12 in this embodiment is not able to distinguishthe location of the client devices 24 in this embodiment. The clientdevice 24 could be in the range of any antenna coverage area 20 formedby an RAU 14.

FIG. 2 is a more detailed schematic diagram of the exemplary opticalfiber-based distributed antenna system 10 of FIG. 1 that provideselectrical RF service signals for a particular RF service orapplication. In an exemplary embodiment, the HEE 12 includes a serviceunit 37 that provides electrical RF service signals by passing (orconditioning and then passing) such signals from one or more outsidenetworks 38 via a network link 39. In a particular example embodiment,this includes providing cellular signal distribution in the frequencyrange from 400 MegaHertz (MHz) to 2.7 GigaHertz (GHz). Any otherelectrical RF signal frequencies are possible. In another exemplaryembodiment, the service unit 37 provides electrical RF service signalsby generating the signals directly. In another exemplary embodiment, theservice unit 37 coordinates the delivery of the electrical RF servicesignals between client devices 24 within the antenna coverage area 20.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, the service unit 37 is electricallycoupled to the E/O converter 28 that receives the downlink electrical RFsignals 18D from the service unit 37 and converts them to correspondingdownlink optical RF signals 22D. In an exemplary embodiment, the E/Oconverter 28 includes a laser suitable for delivering sufficient dynamicrange for the RoF applications described herein, and optionally includesa laser driver/amplifier electrically coupled to the laser. Examples ofsuitable lasers for the E/O converter 28 include, but are not limitedto, laser diodes, distributed feedback (DFB) lasers, Fabry-Perot (FP)lasers, and vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs).

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, the HEE 12 also includes the O/Econverter 36, which is electrically coupled to the service unit 37. TheO/E converter 36 receives the uplink optical RF signals 22U and convertsthem to corresponding uplink electrical RF signals 18U. In an exampleembodiment, the O/E converter 36 is a photodetector, or a photodetectorelectrically coupled to a linear amplifier. The E/O converter 28 and theO/E converter 36 constitute a “converter pair” 35, as illustrated inFIG. 2.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the service unit 37 in theHEE 12 can include an RF signal conditioner unit 40 for conditioning thedownlink electrical RF signals 18D and the uplink electrical RF signals18U, respectively. The service unit 37 can include a digital signalprocessing unit (“digital signal processor”) 42 for providing to the RFsignal conditioner unit 40 an electrical signal that is modulated ontoan RF carrier to generate a desired downlink electrical RF signal 18D.The digital signal processor 42 is also configured to process ademodulation signal provided by the demodulation of the uplinkelectrical RF signal 18U by the RF signal conditioner unit 40. The HEE12 can also include an optional central processing unit (CPU) 44 forprocessing data and otherwise performing logic and computing operations,and a memory unit 46 for storing data, such as data to be transmittedover a WLAN or other network for example.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, the RAU 14 also includes aconverter pair 48 comprising the O/E converter 30 and the E/O converter34. The O/E converter 30 converts the received downlink optical RFsignals 22D from the HEE 12 back into downlink electrical RF signals50D. The E/O converter 34 converts uplink electrical RF signals 50Ureceived from the client device 24 into the uplink optical RF signals22U to be communicated to the HEE 12. The O/E converter 30 and the E/Oconverter 34 are electrically coupled to the antenna 32 via an RFsignal-directing element 52, such as a circulator for example. The RFsignal-directing element 52 serves to direct the downlink electrical RFsignals 50D and the uplink electrical RF signals 50U, as discussedbelow. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the antenna 32 caninclude any type of antenna, including but not limited to one or morepatch antennas, such as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/504,999, filed Aug. 16, 2006 entitled “Radio-over-Fiber TransponderWith A Dual-Band Patch Antenna System,” now issued as U.S. Pat. No.7,627,250, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/451,553, filed Jun.12, 2006 entitled “Centralized Optical Fiber-Based Wireless PicocellularSystems and Methods,” both of which are incorporated herein by referencein their entireties.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, the optical fiber-based distributedantenna system 10 also includes a power supply 54 that provides anelectrical power signal 56. The power supply 54 is electrically coupledto the HEE 12 for powering the power-consuming elements therein. In anexemplary embodiment, an electrical power line 58 runs through the HEE12 and over to the RAU 14 to power the O/E converter 30 and the E/Oconverter 34 in the converter pair 48, the optional RF signal-directingelement 52 (unless the RF signal-directing element 52 is a passivedevice such as a circulator for example), and any other power-consumingelements provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the electrical power line58 includes two wires 60 and 62 that carry a single voltage and areelectrically coupled to a DC power converter 64 at the RAU 14. The DCpower converter 64 is electrically coupled to the O/E converter 30 andthe E/O converter 34 in the converter pair 48, and changes the voltageor levels of the electrical power signal 56 to the power level(s)required by the power-consuming components in the RAU 14. In anexemplary embodiment, the DC power converter 64 is either a DC/DC powerconverter or an AC/DC power converter, depending on the type ofelectrical power signal 56 carried by the electrical power line 58. Inanother example embodiment, the electrical power line 58 (dashed line)runs directly from the power supply 54 to the RAU 14 rather than from orthrough the HEE 12. In another example embodiment, the electrical powerline 58 includes more than two wires and may carry multiple voltages.

To provide further exemplary illustration of how an optical fiber-baseddistributed antenna system can be deployed indoors, FIG. 3 is provided.FIG. 3 is a partially schematic cut-away diagram of a buildinginfrastructure 70 employing an optical fiber-based distributed antennasystem. The system may be the optical fiber-based distributed antennasystem 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The building infrastructure 70 generallyrepresents any type of building in which the optical fiber-baseddistributed antenna system 10 can be deployed. As previously discussedwith regard to FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical fiber-based distributedantenna system 10 incorporates the HEE 12 to provide various types ofcommunication services to coverage areas within the buildinginfrastructure 70, as an example. For example, as discussed in moredetail below, the optical fiber-based distributed antenna system 10 inthis embodiment is configured to receive wireless RF signals and convertthe RF signals into RoF signals to be communicated over the opticalfiber 16 to multiple RAUs 14. The optical fiber-based distributedantenna system 10 in this embodiment can be, for example, an indoordistributed antenna system (IDAS) to provide wireless service inside thebuilding infrastructure 70. These wireless signals can include cellularservice, wireless services such as RFID tracking, Wireless Fidelity(WiFi), local area network (LAN), WLAN, public safety, wireless buildingautomations, and combinations thereof, as examples.

With continuing reference to FIG. 3, the building infrastructure 70 inthis embodiment includes a first (ground) floor 72, a second floor 74,and a third floor 76. The floors 72, 74, 76 are serviced by the HEE 12through a main distribution frame 78 to provide antenna coverage areas80 in the building infrastructure 70. Only the ceilings of the floors72, 74, 76 are shown in FIG. 3 for simplicity of illustration. In theexample embodiment, a main cable 82 has a number of different sectionsthat facilitate the placement of a large number of RAUs 14 in thebuilding infrastructure 70. Each RAU 14 in turn services its owncoverage area in the antenna coverage areas 80. The main cable 82 caninclude, for example, a riser cable 84 that carries all of the downlinkand uplink optical fibers 16D, 16U to and from the HEE 12. The risercable 84 may be routed through an interconnect unit (ICU) 85. The ICU 85may be provided as part of or separate from the power supply 54 in FIG.2. The ICU 85 may also be configured to provide power to the RAUs 14 viathe electrical power line 58, as illustrated in FIG. 2 and discussedabove, provided inside an array cable 87, or tail cable or home-runtether cable as other examples, and distributed with the downlink anduplink optical fibers 16D, 16U to the RAUs 14. The main cable 82 caninclude one or more multi-cable (MC) connectors adapted to connectselect downlink and uplink optical fibers 16D, 16U, along with anelectrical power line, to a number of optical fiber cables 86.

The main cable 82 enables multiple optical fiber cables 86 to bedistributed throughout the building infrastructure 70 (e.g., fixed tothe ceilings or other support surfaces of each floor 72, 74, 76) toprovide the antenna coverage areas 80 for the first, second, and thirdfloors 72, 74, and 76. In an example embodiment, the HEE 12 is locatedwithin the building infrastructure 70 (e.g., in a closet or controlroom), while in another example embodiment, the HEE 12 may be locatedoutside of the building infrastructure 70 at a remote location. A basetransceiver station (BTS) 88, which may be provided by a second partysuch as a cellular service provider, is connected to the HEE 12, and canbe co-located or located remotely from the HEE 12. A BTS is any stationor signal source that provides an input signal to the HEE 12 and canreceive a return signal from the HEE 12. In a typical cellular system,for example, a plurality of BTSs are deployed at a plurality of remotelocations to provide wireless telephone coverage. Each BTS serves acorresponding cell and when a mobile client device enters the cell, theBTS communicates with the mobile client device. Each BTS can include atleast one radio transceiver for enabling communication with one or moresubscriber units operating within the associated cell. As anotherexample, wireless repeaters or bi-directional amplifiers could also beused to serve a corresponding cell in lieu of a BTS. Alternatively,radio input could be provided by a repeater, picocell or femtocell asother examples.

The optical fiber-based distributed antenna system 10 in FIGS. 1-3 anddescribed above provides point-to-point communications between the HEE12 and the RAU 14. A multi-point architecture is also possible as well.With regard to FIGS. 1-3, each RAU 14 communicates with the HEE 12 overa distinct downlink and uplink optical fiber pair to provide thepoint-to-point communications. Whenever an RAU 14 is installed in theoptical fiber-based distributed antenna system 10, the RAU 14 isconnected to a distinct downlink and uplink optical fiber pair connectedto the HEE 12. The downlink and uplink optical fibers 16D, 16U may beprovided in a fiber optic cable. Multiple downlink and uplink opticalfiber pairs can be provided in a fiber optic cable to service multipleRAUs 14 from a common fiber optic cable. For example, with reference toFIG. 3, RAUs 14 installed on a given floor 72, 74, or 76 may be servicedfrom the same optical fiber 16. In this regard, the optical fiber 16 mayhave multiple nodes where distinct downlink and uplink optical fiberpairs can be connected to a given RAU 14. One downlink optical fiber 16Dcould be provided to support multiple channels each usingwavelength-division multiplexing (WDM), as discussed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/892,424 entitled “Providing Digital DataServices in Optical Fiber-based Distributed Radio Frequency (RF)Communications Systems, And Related Components and Methods,”incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other options for WDMand frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) are also disclosed in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/892,424, any of which can be employed inany of the embodiments disclosed herein.

The HEE 12 may be configured to support any frequencies desired,including but not limited to US FCC and Industry Canada frequencies(824-849 MHz on uplink and 869-894 MHz on downlink), US FCC and IndustryCanada frequencies (1850-1915 MHz on uplink and 1930-1995 MHz ondownlink), US FCC and Industry Canada frequencies (1710-1755 MHz onuplink and 2110-2155 MHz on downlink), US FCC frequencies (698-716 MHzand 776-787 MHz on uplink and 728-746 MHz on downlink), EU R & TTEfrequencies (880-915 MHz on uplink and 925-960 MHz on downlink), EU R &TTE frequencies (1710-1785 MHz on uplink and 1805-1880 MHz on downlink),EU R & TTE frequencies (1920-1980 MHz on uplink and 2110-2170 MHz ondownlink), US FCC frequencies (806-824 MHz on uplink and 851-869 MHz ondownlink), US FCC frequencies (896-901 MHz on uplink and 929-941 MHz ondownlink), US FCC frequencies (793-805 MHz on uplink and 763-775 MHz ondownlink), and US FCC frequencies (2495-2690 MHz on uplink anddownlink).

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of exemplary HEE 90 that may be employedwith any of the distributed antenna systems disclosed herein, includingbut not limited to the optical fiber-based distributed antenna system 10in FIGS. 1-3. The HEE 90 in this embodiment is configured to distributeRF communication services over optical fiber. In this embodiment asillustrated in FIG. 4, the HEE 90 includes a head-end controller (HEC)91 that manages the functions of the HEE 90 components and communicateswith external devices via interfaces, such as an RS-232 port 92, aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) port 94, and an Ethernet port 96, asexamples. The HEE 90 can be connected to a plurality of BTSs,transceivers 100(1)-100(T), and the like via BTS inputs 101(1)-101(T)and BTS outputs 102(1)-102(T). The notation “1-T” indicates that anynumber of BTS transceivers can be provided up to T number withcorresponding BTS inputs and BTS outputs. The BTS inputs 101(1)-101(T)are downlink connections and the BTS outputs 102(1)-102(T) are uplinkconnections. Each BTS input 101(1)-101(T) is connected to a downlinkinterface in the form of a downlink BTS interface card (BIC) 104 in thisembodiment, which is located in the HEE 90, and each BTS output102(1)-102(T) is connected to an uplink BIC 106 also located in the HEE90. The downlink BIC 104 is configured to receive incoming or downlinkRF signals from the BTS inputs 101(1)-101(T) and split the downlink RFsignals into copies to be communicated to the RAUs 14, as illustrated inFIG. 2. In this embodiment, thirty-six (36) RAUs 14(1)-14(36) aresupported by the HEE 90, but any number of RAUs 14 may be supported bythe HEE 90. The uplink BIC 106 is configured to receive the combinedoutgoing or uplink RF signals from the RAUs 14 and split the uplink RFsignals into individual BTS outputs 102(1)-102(T) as a returncommunication path.

With continuing reference to FIG. 4 the downlink BIC 104 is connected toa midplane interface card 108 in this embodiment. The uplink BIC 106 isalso connected to the midplane interface card 108. The downlink BIC 104and uplink BIC 106 can be provided in printed circuit boards (PCBs) thatinclude connectors that can plug directly into the midplane interfacecard 108. The midplane interface card 108 is in electrical communicationwith a plurality of optical interfaces provided in the form of opticalinterface cards (OICs) 110 in this embodiment, which provide an opticalto electrical communication interface and vice versa between the RAUs 14via the downlink and uplink optical fibers 16D, 16U and the downlink BIC104 and uplink BIC 106. The OICs 110 include the E/O converter 28 likediscussed with regard to FIG. 1 that converts electrical RF signals fromthe downlink BIC 104 to optical RF signals, which are then communicatedover the downlink optical fibers 16D to the RAUs 14 and then to clientdevices. The OICs 110 also include the O/E converter 36 like in FIG. 1that converts optical RF signals communicated from the RAUs 14 over theuplink optical fibers 16U to the HEE 90 and then to the BTS outputs102(1)-102(T).

With continuing reference to FIG. 4, the OICs 110 in this embodimentsupport up to three (3) RAUs 14 each. The OICs 110 can also be providedin a PCB that includes a connector that can plug directly into themidplane interface card 108 to couple the links in the OICs 110 to themidplane interface card 108. The OICs 110 may consist of one or multipleoptical interface modules (OIMs). In this manner, the HEE 90 is scalableto support up to thirty-six (36) RAUs 14 in this embodiment since theHEE 90 can support up to twelve (12) OICs 110. If less than thirty-six(36) RAUs 14 are to be supported by the HEE 90, less than twelve (12)OICs 110 can be included in the HEE 90 and plugged into the midplaneinterface card 108. One OIC 110 is provided for every three (3) RAUs 14supported by the HEE 90 in this embodiment. OICs 110 can also be addedto the HEE 90 and connected to the midplane interface card 108 ifadditional RAUs 14 are desired to be supported beyond an initialconfiguration. With continuing reference to FIG. 4, the HEU 91 can alsobe provided that is configured to be able to communicate with thedownlink BIC 104, the uplink BIC 106, and the OICs 110 to providevarious functions, including configurations of amplifiers andattenuators provided therein.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another exemplary distributed antennasystem 120 that may be employed according to the embodiments disclosedherein to provide RF communication services. In this embodiment, thedistributed antenna system 120 includes optical fiber for distributingRF communication services. The distributed antenna system 120 in thisembodiment is comprised of three (3) main components. One or more radiointerfaces provided in the form of radio interface modules (RIMs)122(1)-122(M) in this embodiment are provided in HEE 124 to receive andprocess downlink electrical RF communications signals 126D(1)-126D(R)prior to optical conversion into downlink optical RF communicationssignals. The RIMs 122(1)-122(M) provide both downlink and uplinkinterfaces. The processing of the downlink electrical RF communicationssignals 126D(1)-126D(R) can include any of the processing previouslydescribed above in the HEE 12 in FIGS. 1-4. The notations “1-R” and“1-M” indicate that any number of the referenced component, 1-R and 1-M,respectively, may be provided. As will be described in more detailbelow, the HEE 124 is configured to accept a plurality of RIMs122(1)-122(M) as modular components that can easily be installed andremoved or replaced in the HEE 124. In one embodiment, the HEE 124 isconfigured to support up to four (4) RIMs 122(1)-122(M) as an example.

Each RIM 122(1)-122(M) can be designed to support a particular type ofradio source or range of radio sources (i.e., frequencies) to provideflexibility in configuring the HEE 124 and the distributed antennasystem 120 to support the desired radio sources. For example, one RIM122 may be configured to support the Personal Communication Services(PCS) radio band. Another RIM 122 may be configured to support the 700MHz radio band. In this example, by inclusion of these RIMs 122, the HEE124 would be configured to support and distribute RF communicationssignals on both PCS and LTE 700 radio bands. RIMs 122 may be provided inthe HEE 124 that support any frequency bands desired, including but notlimited to the US Cellular band, Personal Communication Services (PCS)band, Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) band, 700 MHz band, Global Systemfor Mobile communications (GSM) 900, GSM 1800, and Universal MobileTelecommunication System (UMTS). RIMs 122 may be provided in the HEE 124that support any wireless technologies desired, including but notlimited to Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), CDMA200, 1×RTT,Evolution—Data Only (EV-DO), UMTS, High-speed Packet Access (HSPA), GSM,General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment(EDGE), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE),iDEN, and Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD).

RIMs 122 may be provided in the HEE 124 that support any frequenciesdesired, including but not limited to US FCC and Industry Canadafrequencies (824-849 MHz on uplink and 869-894 MHz on downlink), US FCCand Industry Canada frequencies (1850-1915 MHz on uplink and 1930-1995MHz on downlink), US FCC and Industry Canada frequencies (1710-1755 MHzon uplink and 2110-2155 MHz on downlink), US FCC frequencies (698-716MHz and 776-787 MHz on uplink and 728-746 MHz on downlink), EU R & TTEfrequencies (880-915 MHz on uplink and 925-960 MHz on downlink), EU R &TTE frequencies (1710-1785 MHz on uplink and 1805-1880 MHz on downlink),EU R & TTE frequencies (1920-1980 MHz on uplink and 2110-2170 MHz ondownlink), US FCC frequencies (806-824 MHz on uplink and 851-869 MHz ondownlink), US FCC frequencies (896-901 MHz on uplink and 929-941 MHz ondownlink), US FCC frequencies (793-805 MHz on uplink and 763-775 MHz ondownlink), and US FCC frequencies (2495-2690 MHz on uplink anddownlink).

The downlink electrical RF communications signals 126D(1)-126D(R) areprovided to a plurality of optical interfaces provided in the form ofoptical interface modules (OIMs) 128(1)-128(N) in this embodiment toconvert the downlink electrical RF communications signals126D(1)-126D(N) into downlink optical RF signals 130D(1)-130D(R). Thenotation “1-N” indicates that any number of the referenced component 1-Nmay be provided. The OIMs 128 may be configured to provide one or moreoptical interface components (OICs) that contain O/E and E/O converters,as will be described in more detail below. The OIMs 128 support theradio bands that can be provided by the RIMs 122, including the examplespreviously described above. Thus, in this embodiment, the OIMs 128 maysupport a radio band range from 400 MHz to 2700 MHz, as an example, soproviding different types or models of OIMs 128 for narrower radio bandsto support possibilities for different radio band-supported RIMs 122provided in the HEE 124 is not required. Further, as an example, theOIMs 128 may be optimized for sub-bands within the 400 MHz to 2700 MHzfrequency range, such as 400-700 MHz, 700 MHz-1 GHz, 1 GHz-1.6 GHz, and1.6 GHz-2.7 GHz, as examples.

The OIMs 128(1)-128(N) each include E/O converters to convert thedownlink electrical RF communications signals 126D(1)-126D(R) todownlink optical RF signals 130D(1)-130D(R). The downlink optical RFsignals 130D(1)-130D(R) are communicated over downlink optical fiber(s)133D to a plurality of RAUs 132(1)-132(P). The notation “1-P” indicatesthat any number of the referenced component 1-P may be provided. O/Econverters provided in the RAUs 132(1)-132(P) convert the downlinkoptical RF signals 130D(1)-130D(R) back into downlink electrical RFcommunications signals 126D(1)-126D(R), which are provided overdownlinks 134(1)-134(P) coupled to antennas 136(1)-136(P) in the RAUs132(1)-132(P) to client devices in the reception range of the antennas136(1)-136(P).

E/O converters are also provided in the RAUs 132(1)-132(P) to convertuplink electrical RF communications signals 126U(1)-126U(R) receivedfrom client devices through the antennas 136(1)-136(P) into uplinkoptical RF signals 138U(1)-138U(R) to be communicated over uplinkoptical fibers 133U to the OIMs 128(1)-128(N). The OIMs 128(1)-128(N)include O/E converters that convert the uplink optical signals138U(1)-138U(R) into uplink electrical RF communications signals140U(1)-140U(R) that are processed by the RIMs 122(1)-122(M) andprovided as uplink electrical RF communications signals 142U(1)-142U(R).Downlink electrical digital signals 143D(1)-143D(P) communicated overdownlink electrical medium or media (hereinafter “medium”)145D(1)-145D(P) are provided to the RAUs 132(1)-132(P), such as from adigital data services (DDS) controller and/or DDS switch as provided byexample in FIG. 5, separately from the RF communication services, aswell as uplink electrical digital signals 143U(1)-143U(P) communicatedover uplink electrical medium 145U(1)-145U(P), as also illustrated inFIG. 6. Common elements between FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are illustrated inFIG. 6 with common element numbers. Power may be provided in thedownlink and/or uplink electrical medium 145D(1)-145D(P) and/or145U(1)-145U(P) to the RAUs 132(1)-132(P).

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of providing digital data services and RFcommunication services to RAUs and/or other remote communications unitsin the distributed antenna system 120 of FIG. 6. Common componentsbetween FIGS. 5 and 6 and other figures provided have the same elementnumbers and thus will not be re-described. As illustrated in FIG. 6, apower supply module (PSM) 153 may be provided to provide power to theRIMs 122(1)-122(M) and radio distribution cards (RDCs) 147 thatdistribute the RF communications from the RIMs 122(1)-122(M) to the OIMs128(1)-128(N) through RDCs 149. A PSM 155 may also be provided toprovide power the OIMs 128(1)-128(N). An interface 151, which mayinclude web and network management system (NMS) interfaces, may also beprovided to allow configuration and communication to the RIMs122(1)-122(M) and other components of the distributed antenna system120. A microcontroller, microprocessor, or other control circuitry 157may be included in HEE 160 (FIG. 7) to provide control operations forthe HEE 160, including the determination of propagation delay in thedistributed antenna system 120.

As discussed above with regard to FIGS. 1-6, the remote antenna units indistributed antenna systems can be distributed throughout locationsinside a building to extend wireless communication coverage throughoutthe building. This may be advantageous when wireless communicationcoverage inside a building would otherwise be poor or not possible dueto the indoor environment. However, other services may be affected as aresult of providing distributed antenna systems. For example, cellularcommunications protocols may be time or delay based protocols. Asnon-limiting examples, time delay of arrival (TDOA) or Advanced ForwardLink Translation (AFLT) techniques or algorithms may be used todetermining delay of communications signals with client devices.However, distributing cellular communications to remote antenna unitsinside a building or other environment can increase delay due to thepropagation delay of the communications signals being distributed to theremote antenna units and responses received at the remote antenna unitsbeing distributed back to head-end equipment. If the delay exceeds acertain level, the bandwidth of the communications system may bereduced. As another example, providing localization services for aclient, such as emergency 911 (E911) services, may be determined orcalculated based on over-the-air delay between communications from aclient and a communications tower. However, if the client iscommunicating over a distributed antenna system, the propagation delayof the distributed antenna system increases the delay, thus possiblyresulting in an incorrect determination of location of the client.

Propagation delay can be compensated for in a cellular communicationssystem, but the cellular communications system may be unaware ofdistributed antenna systems that will increase the propagation delay.Delay can be compensated for in a cellular communications system, butthe cellular communications system may be unaware of indoor distributedantenna systems that increase delay as a result of propagation delay.Also, a cellular communications system may provide for the ability toset a flag or other indicator to indicate that distributed antennasystems are present in coverage areas for communications antenna ortowers. However, this setting may only provide for the ability of thecellular communications system to approximate additional propagationdelay present which may not be accurate.

In this regard, embodiments disclosed below include components, systems,and methods for determining propagation delay of communications indistributed antenna systems. Such distributed antenna systems may be anyof the distributed antenna systems 10, 120 described above asnon-limiting examples. Another example of a distributed antenna system150 is provided in FIG. 7 to illustrate propagation delay. Thedistributed antenna system 150 could be any of the distributed antennasystems 10, 120 described above with regard to FIGS. 1-6. As illustratedin FIG. 7, network management equipment 152 may be provided by acommunications provider, such as a cellular network provider as anexample. The network management equipment 152 may be circuit switched orpacket switched network equipment as examples. Downlink and uplinkcommunications signals 154D(1)-154D(X), 154U(1)-154U(X) may be providedfrom and to the network management equipment 152 to a base station 159to be interfaced with the distributed antenna system 150. The notation“1-X” indicates that any number of downlink and uplink communicationssignals may be provided from and to the network management equipment 152to the base station 159 to be interfaced with the distributed antennasystem 150. The base station 159 may act as a repeater 158 ifcommunications signal levels need to be amplified to maintain signalintegrity. Propagation delay D₁ is shown between the network managementequipment 152 and the base station 159/repeater 158 to signify thepropagation delay therebetween.

With continuing reference to FIG. 7, the downlink and uplinkcommunications signals 154D(1)-154D(X), 154U(1)-154U(X) can beinterfaced to HEE 160. The HEE 160 may include any of the equipmentpreviously described above for the HEE 12, 90 in FIGS. 1-6 as examples.Propagation delay D₂ is shown between the base station 159/repeater 158and the HEE 160 to signify the propagation delay therebetween. Aspreviously discussed, communications signals, namely the downlink anduplink communications signals 154D(1)-154D(X), 154U(1)-154U(X), aresplit and communicated between the HEE 160 and RAUs 162(1)-162(P) asdownlink and uplink communications signals 156D(1)-156D(P),156U(1)-156U(P) over downlink and uplink communications medium 164D,164U. The notation “1-P” signifies that the downlink communicationssignals 156D(1)-156D(P) may be split by the HEE 160 into any number ofdownlink communications signals desired according to the number of RAUs162 supported by the distributed antenna system 150. The notation “1-P”also signifies that the uplink communications signals 156U(1)-156U(P)may be split by the HEE 160 into any number of uplink communicationssignals desired according to the number of RAUs 162 supported by thedistributed antenna system 150.

The downlink and uplink communications medium 164D, 164U may be anymedium, including but not limited to electrical conductor, opticalfiber, and air (i.e., wireless transmission). Propagation delay D₃ isshown between the HEE 160 and the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) to signify thepropagation delay therebetween. Propagation delay D₃ comprisespropagation delay D₃′ present in the distribution of the downlink anduplink communications signals 156D(1)-156D(P), 156U(1)-156U(P) in theHEE 160 and propagation delay D₃″ present over the downlink and uplinkcommunications medium 164D, 164U. The downlink and uplink communicationsmedium 164D, 164U may comprise 1-P individual lines dedicated to eachRAU 162(1)-162(P), or single lines whereby the downlink and uplinkcommunications signals 156D(1)-156D(P), 156U(1)-156U(P) are multiplexedon the single lines. If the downlink and uplink communications medium164D, 164U is optical fiber, WDM may be employed as an example. If thedownlink and uplink communications medium 164D, 164U is electricalconductors or air (i.e., wireless transmission), FDM may be employed asan example.

With continuing reference to FIG. 7, the downlink communications signals156D(1)-156D(P) are communication by the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) to antennas166(1)-166(P) to be transmitted over the air wirelessly to clientdevices 24 in the range of the antennas 166(1)-166(P). Normally, theclient device 24 is in range of one of the antennas 166(1)-166(P).Propagation delay D₄ is shown between the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) and theantennas 166(1)-166(P) to signify the propagation delay therebetween.Because the antennas 166(1)-166(P) are normally provided within the samehousing of the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) or in close proximity to the RAUs162(1)-162(P), the propagation delay D₄ may be negligible as comparedwith the propagation delay D₃. The client devices 24 can communicateuplink communications signals 156U(1)-156U(P) to one or more of theantennas 166(1)-166(P) to be distributed to the RAUs 162(1)-162(P).Again, the propagation delay D₄ is shown between the antennas166(1)-166(P) and the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) to signify the propagationdelay therebetween. The uplink communications signals 156U(1)-156U(P)are communicated from the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) to the HEE 160 over uplinkcommunications medium 164U. Again, the propagation delay D₃ is shownbetween the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) and the HEE 160 to signify thepropagation delay therebetween. The uplink communications signals156U(1)-156U(P) are communicated from the HEE 160 to the base station159/repeater 158 and the network management equipment 152, which incurpropagation delays D₂ and D₁, respectively.

Thus, the total propagation delay from the network management equipment152 to the antennas 166(1)-166(P) for downlink communications isD₁+D₂+D₃+D₄. The round trip delay from the network management equipment152 to the antennas 166(1)-166(P) and back for downlink and uplinkcommunications is 2*(D₁+D₂+D₃+D₄). The network management equipment 152may be aware of propagation delays D₁ and D₂ depending on configuration.However, the network management equipment 152 may be unaware ofpropagation delays D₃ and D₄ due to the distributed antenna system 150.Or, the network management equipment 152 may be aware of propagationdelays D₃ and D₄, but such delays are assumed as constant delays, whichmay not be the actual propagation delays and thus may be inaccurate.

In the example of an optical fiber communication medium, the opticalfiber distance is equal to the product of velocity (i.e., speed oflight) and time (i.e., propagation delay). Transmission in optical fiberexperiences an approximately five (5) nanosecond (ns) delay per meter,since light travels about half the speed of light compared to an RFtransmission over the air. This distance can be used to approximate thelocation of the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) if the coordinates of the HEE 160 areknown in this example. Both the HEE 160 coordinates and the propagationdelay can be used to calculate the location of the client device 24 in adistributed antenna system using a triangulation and time of flightapproach as an example.

In this regard, in embodiments discussed, the propagation delay ofcommunications signals distributed in the distributed antenna systems isdetermined. As a non-limiting example, the propagation delays D₃ and/orD₄ may be determined in the distributed antenna system 150 of FIG. 7 toprovide this information to the network management equipment 152 orother system or device. As will be discussed in more detail below,components may be employed in the distributed antenna system 150 in FIG.7 to determine propagation delays D₃ and/or D₄. The determinedpropagation delay(s) can be provided by the distributed antenna system150 to be taken into consideration for communications services oroperations that are based on communications signal delay. Delay basedoperations may be made more effective, efficient, and/or accurate byknowing the propagation delay experienced in a distributed antennasystem. As a non-limiting example, the propagation delay(s) may beassociated with communication antennas or towers that are mapped andstored in a database(s) to be used for communications services oroperations based on communications signal delay. As another non-limitingexample, the arrangement of the base station 159, repeaters 158, orcommunication towers in a network may be repositioned based on thedetermined propagation delay.

Further, as an example, the propagation delay D₃ in the distributedantenna system 150 in FIG. 7 may be different depending on which RAU162(1)-162(P)/antenna 166(1)-166(P) combination the client device 24 iscommunicating. This is because the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) may be placed atdifferent locations where the distance between each of the RAUs162(1)-162(P) varies with respect to the HEE 160. Thus, embodimentsdisclosed herein also allow determination of the propagation delay on aper RAU 162(1)-162(P) basis. In this regard, the particular RAU162(1)-162(P) in which the client device 24 is in communication may bedeterminable or known. In this regard, in certain embodiments disclosedherein, the client device 24 is configured to include client deviceidentification information as uplink communication data to the RAU162(1)-162(P) and to the HEE 160 and network management equipment 152without receiving a tracking signal or other signal configured toprovide localization services. For example, Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM) network compatible client devices are configured toautomatically initiate providing client device identificationinformation over a network. The locations of the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) inthe distributed antenna system 150 are configured and known in the HEE160. By knowing and correlating the particular RAU 162(1)-162(P) inwhich the client device 24 established communication, the HEE 160 isable to determine and/or provide the location of the client device 24 asbeing within the antenna coverage area formed by the particular RAU162(1)-162(P). The correlation of client device identificationinformation from the client device 24 with the location of the RAU162(1)-162(P) is retained when communicated to the HEE 160 and is notlost by being combined, such as by splitters or combiners as examples,with communications from other RAUs 162(1)-162(P).

In other embodiments, a signal used for determining the location ofclient devices 24 (also referred to herein as “tracking signal”), andwhich may also be referred to as a pilot signal, beacon signal, or pilotbeacon signal, is distributed by the HEE 160 to one or more trackingRAUs 170(1)-170(Q) in the distributed antenna system 150. The notation“1-Q” is to signify that any number of tracking RAUs desired may beprovided in the distributed antenna system 150. Determined propagationdelay can be associated with a particular client device 24 based on adetermination of which tracking RAU 170(1)-170(Q) the client device 24is most closely located. For example, signal strength may be used todetermine which tracking RAU 170(1)-170(Q) the client device 24 is mostclosely located. One or more tracking signals TS(1)-TS(V) may begenerated by a tracking signal generator 172 or pilot or beacongenerator as examples. The notation “1-V” indicates that any number oftracking signals may be generated. The tracking signals TS(1)-TS(V) maybe unique signals that can be associated with a particular location orzone in the optical fiber-based distributed antenna system. For example,in a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, cell identificationis included in a channel separate from communications traffic that canbe used as the tracking signals TS(1)-TS(V). In this manner, thetracking signals TS(1)-TS(V) are radiated through downlinkcommunications medium 173D(1)-173D(U) to antennas 174(1)-174(Q)associated with the tracking RAUs 170(1)-170(Q) to be communicated toclient devices 24 within range of the antenna coverage area formed bythe tracking RAUs 170(1)-170(Q). The notation “1-U” indicates that anynumber of downlink communications medium may be generated.

When the client device 24 wirelessly receives a tracking signalTS(1)-TS(V), the client device 24 communicates its identificationinformation and identification of the tracking signal TS(1)-TS(V) backto one of the antennas 166(1)-166(P) and through the uplinkcommunications medium 164U to the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) to be communicatedback to the HEE 160. The HEE 160 can provide this information to anetwork or carrier. In this manner, the client device identificationinformation and identification of the tracking signal TS(1)-TS(V) can beassociated with the location of a particular RAU 162(1)-162(P) thatreceived and transmitted the tracking signal TS(1)-TS(V) in thedistributed antenna system 150 to provide or determine a location of theclient device 24.

In this regard, FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of the exemplarydistributed antenna system 150 that is configured to communicatetracking signals TS(1)-TS(V) from the HEE 160 to certain tracking RAUs170(1)-170(Q) to provide localization services. The tracking RAUs170(1)-170(Q) can contain the same components and configuration as theRAUs 162(1)-162(P). Thus, this configuration of the distributed antennasystem 150 employs the tracking signal TS(1)-TS(V) provided on downlinksto the tracking RAUs 170(1)-170(Q) to provide localization services. Thedifference is that the tracking RAUs 170(1)A-170(Q) are communicativelycoupled to channels or links provided by the HEE 160 that are dedicatedto carry the tracking signal TS(1)-TS(V). Each tracking signalTS(1)-TS(V) has a unique identification from the other tracking signalsTS(1)-TS(V) in this embodiment. The tracking RAUs 170(1)-170(Q) selectedto receive tracking signals TS(1)-TS(V) can be strategically locatedwithin different tracking zones 176 in a building 178 or otherinfrastructure. For example, FIG. 8 illustrates four tracking zones176(1)-176(4). Each tracking zone 176(1)-176(4) may represent a floorwithin the building 178 wherein a tracking RAU 170(1)-170(Q) is locatedon each floor.

With continuing reference to FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the trackingsignal TS(1)-TS(V) is not used for communications, and the clientdevices 24 can receive the tracking signal TS(1)-TS(V) from the trackingRAUs 170(1)-170(Q) over a greater distance than communications. Thus,when client devices 24 are located within range of a particular trackingRAU 170(1)-170(Q), the client device 24 will receive the particulartracking signal TS(1)-TS(V) designated for the floor communicated to thetracking RAU 170(1)-170(Q). The client device 24 can then communicateclient device identification information regarding the received trackingsignal TS(1)-TS(V) back to the HEE 160 and over a network 180. Thus, theparticular floor in which the client device 24 is located can beprovided or determined. Note that although the example of trackingillustrates four (4) tracking zones 176(1)-176(4), the disclosure hereinis not limited to providing a particular number of tracking zones ortracking RAUs placed in the tracking zones to receive and wirelesslytransmit a tracking signal to client devices.

With continuing reference to FIG. 8, other RAUs 162(1)-162(P) that arenot configured to receive and wirelessly transmit the tracking signalsTS(1)-TS(V) are also provided in the distributed antenna system 150. Inthis embodiment, these RAUs 162(1)-162(P) form antenna coverage areas ineach of the tracking zones 176(1)-176(4) that are not associated withproviding tracking signals or location services. The RAUs 162(1)-162(P)can be like the RAUs 14, 132 previously described and illustrated inFIGS. 1-6 that provide downlink network communications to client devicesin range of the antenna coverage areas and receive wirelesscommunications from the client devices to communicate uplinkcommunication data back to the HEE 160 and over the network 180. Morethan one RAU 162(1)-162(P) may be provided in a given zone 176(1)-176(4)to provide communications between client devices 24 inside the building178 and the network 180.

As also illustrated in FIG. 8, the tracking RAUs 170(1)-170(Q) couldalso be configured to transmit downlink communication data to clientdevices 24 in addition to the tracking signals TS(1)-TS(V). For example,tracking RAU 170(Q) is configured to receive both tracking signal TS(3)and downlink communication data from the HEE 160 and transmit both toclient devices 24 in range of the tracking RAU 170(Q). When the clientdevice 24 is in range of the tracking RAU 170(Q), the client device 24receives the tracking signal TS(3) and the downlink communication data.The client device 24 can transmit client device identificationinformation and uplink communication data back to the HEE 160 and overthe network 180. The tracking RAU 170(Q) may be configured to receiveuplink communication data from a client device 24, or may be configuredto only transmit the tracking signal TS(3) and downlink communicationdata to a client device 24. In the latter case, a second RAU 162(P)located in proximity to the tracking RAU 170(Q) may be configured toreceive the client device identification information and uplinkcommunication data from the client device 24 to provide to the HEE 160and the network 180.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of determining total propagation delaywithin the exemplary distributed antenna system 150 in FIG. 7. Notehowever that determining total propagation delay could also be performedin the exemplary distributed antenna systems 10, 120 discussed above aswell, and the embodiments of determining propagation delay herein arenot limited to any particular type or configuration of distributedantenna system. Common elements with the distributed antenna system 150in FIG. 7 are provided with common element numbers in FIG. 9. In thisembodiment, determining the total propagation delay within thedistributed antenna system 150 consists of determining propagation delayof the distribution of the downlink communications signals156D(1)-156D(P) to the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) and the propagation delay ofdistribution of the uplink communications signals 156U(1)-156U(P) to theHEE 160. In this embodiment, this delay consists of the propagationdelay D₃, because it is assumed that the propagation delay D₄ from theRAUs 162(1)-162(P) to the antennas 166(1)-166(P), as illustrated in FIG.7, is negligible when compared to the propagation delay D₃. Also, thepropagation delay D₃ in this embodiment consists of a plurality ofpropagation delays D₃(1)-D₃(P) since each RAU 162(1)-162(P) may not belocated the same distance from the HEE 160 and/or communicativelycoupled using the same type of communications medium.

With continuing reference to FIG. 9, to determine the propagation delaysD₃(1)-D₃(P), a propagation delay measurement circuit(s) 192(1)-192(M)may be associated with each RIM 190(1)-190(M) in the HEE 160. Byproviding the propagation delay measurement circuits 192(1)-192(M)associated with each RIM 190(1)-190(M), the propagation delay from theRIMs 190(1)-190(M) to the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) can be determined, which isestimated in this embodiment to be the total propagation delay of thedistributed antenna system 150. The propagation delay measurementcircuit 192 is used to measure the propagation delay of the time todistribute the downlink communications signals 156D(1)-156D(P) from theRIMs 190(1)-190(M) and OIMs 191(1)-191(N) to the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) andfor responsive uplink communications signals 156U(1)-156U(P) to bedistributed back from the RAUs 162(1)-162(P) to the HEE 160 in thisembodiment. The RIMs 190(1)-190(M) may be like the RIMs 120(1)-120(M)illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 and previously described above. The OIMs191(1)-191(N) may be like the OIMs 122(1)-122(M) illustrated in FIGS. 5and 6 and previously described above. Examples of propagation delaymeasurement circuits that may be provided as the propagation delaymeasurement circuit 192 are described in more detail below. In thisembodiment, because multiple RAUs 162(1)-162(P) are provided, thepropagation delay D₃ will be composed of a plurality of propagationdelays D₃(1)-D₃(P). The longest of the propagation delays D₃(1)-D₃(P)may be considered to be the propagation delay of the distributed antennasystem 150 or an average of the propagation delays D₃(1)-D₃(P) asnon-limiting examples.

With continuing reference to FIG. 9, to measure propagation delay, RFcross bar switches 194(1)-194(P) are provided in each of the RAUs162(1)-162(P). The RF cross bar switches 194(1)-194(P) are coupled toO/E and E/O converters 196(1)-196(P) in the RAUs 162(1)-162(P). The RFcross bar switches 194(1)-194(P) are provided to reverse receiveddownlink communications signals 156D(1)-156D(P) received on the downlinkcommunications medium 164D back onto the uplink communications medium164U as uplink communications signals 156U(1)-156U(P) before thedownlink communications signals 156D(1)-156D(P) are distributed to theantennas 166(1)-166(P). The propagation delay measurement circuit 192measures the time between when the downlink communications signals156D(1)-156D(P) are distributed from the HEE 160 and when the downlinkcommunications signals 156D(1)-156(P) are received back at thepropagation delay measurement circuit 192 as uplink communicationssignals 156U(1)-156U(P) to determine the propagation delay D₃. Thepropagation delay measurement circuit 192 will measure the propagationdelay for one communication path between the HEE 160 and a particularRAU 162.

With continuing reference to FIG. 9 and as illustrated in the exemplaryflowchart in FIG. 10, to measure the propagation delay D₃(1)-D₃(P) foreach RAU 162(1)-162(P), the HEE 160 can be configured to control thedistribution of downlink communications signals 156D(1)-156D(P).Propagation delay may be measured for each RAU 162(1)-162(P)communications path before normal RF communications are allowed to beactive in the distributed antenna system 150. A head-end controller(HEC) 199 or other control circuitry may be provided in the HEE 160, asillustrated in FIG. 9, to perform the process in FIG. 10 to determinepropagation delay. In this regard, the HEC 199 can initiate or reset thepropagation delay measurement circuit 192, as illustrated in FIG. 10(block 200 in FIG. 10). The HEC 199 also communicates to an RAU(s)162(1)-162(P) to activate the RF cross bar switch(es) 194(1)-194(P) toredirect the received downlink communications signals 156D(1)-156D(P) tothe uplink communications medium 164U as the uplink communicationssignals 156U(1)-156U(P) (block 202 in FIG. 10). The HEC 199 mayconfigure certain components in the HEE 160 so that the downlinkcommunications signals 156D(1)-156D(P) are only distributed to one RAU162(1)-162(P) at a time during propagation propagation delaymeasurement. Thereafter, the HEE 160 distributes the downlinkcommunications signals 156D(1)-156D(P) to the RAU(s) 162(1)-162(P)(block 204 in FIG. 10). For example, the distributed downlinkcommunications signals 156D(1)-156D(P) may be of the modulationfrequency of serial communications, such as 315 MHz as one non-limitingexample. The RF cross bar switch(es) 194(1)-194(P) will direct thereceived downlink communications signals 154D(1)-154D(P) onto the uplinkcommunications medium 164U as illustrated in FIG. 9. The HEE 160 willreceive the uplink communications signals 156U(1)-156U(P) from theRAU(s) 162(1)-162(P) (block 206 in FIG. 10). The propagation delaymeasurement circuit 192 will then determine the time of receipt of theuplink communications signals 156U(1)-156U(P) to determine thepropagation delay(s) D₃(1)-D₃(P) for the RAU(s) 162(1)-162(P) (block 208in FIG. 10).

With continuing reference to FIG. 10, the HEC 199 may be configured tomeasure the propagation delays D₃(1)-D₃(P) for one RAU 162 at a timesince the propagation delays D₃(1)-D₃(P) will likely be different due tothe RAUs 162(1)-162(P) being located at difference distances from theHEE 160. In this regard, the process in FIG. 10 can be performed for oneRAU 162 at one time. A switch or switches 197 may be provided in the HEE160 and controllable by the HEC 199 to be switched to one or more of theRAUs 162(1)-162(P) at a time to set the communication path to distributecommunications signals to the desired RAU(s) 162(1)-162(P) (block 210 inFIG. 10). For example, the switch 197 may be comprised of transmitoptical sub-assemblies (TOSAs) and receive optical sub-assemblies(ROSAs) that are activated and deactivated to control which RAUs162(1)-162(P) receive communications signals from the HEE 160. Controlof which RAUs 162(1)-162(P) receive communications signals from the HEE160 provides the identification of the RAU 162(1)-162(P) associated witha given propagation delay determined using the propagation delaymeasurement circuit 192. When a next propagation delay D₃ for a givenRAU 162 is to be measured, the HEC 199 can set the communication path toa next RAU 162 (block 210) to measure the propagation delay D₃ for thegiven RAU 162. The process in FIG. 10 can be repeated until allpropagation delays D₃(1)-D₃(P) for all RAUs 162(1)-162(P) aredetermined. The propagation delays D₃(1)-D₃(P) can be stored andcommunicated by the HEC 199 to the network management equipment 152(FIG. 7) as desired. The HEC 199 may also store and/or communicate thedetermined propagation delay along with the identification of the clientdevice 24 and/or the determined location of the client device 24. Thelocation of the client device 24 may be determined or determinable basedon the methods discussed above.

Any type of propagation delay measurement circuit may be employed forthe propagation delay measurement circuits 192(1)-192(M) in the HEE 160in FIG. 9 to measure propagation delay. As non-limiting examples, FIGS.11A-11E are schematic diagrams of exemplary propagation delaymeasurement circuits that may be employed as the propagation delaymeasurement circuits 192(1)-192(M).

FIG. 11A illustrates a first example of a propagation delay measurementcircuit 192A that employs a fast counter for measuring propagation delayof one communication path between an RIM 190 and an RAU 162. Withreference to FIG. 11A, the propagation delay measurement circuit 192Aemploys an AND gate 220 that provides an output line 222 to a counter224. The AND gate 220 acts as a switch to activate the counter 224 whena downlink communications signal 156D is active or on the downlinkcommunications medium 164D and the corresponding uplink communicationssignal 156U is not detected. When the downlink communications signal156D is detected by a downlink communications signal detector 225 (e.g.,a power detector), an input line 226 to the AND gate 220 is raised high(i.e., a Voltage level signifying a logical “1”). The correspondinguplink communications signals 156U will not be detected until thedownlink communications signal 156D reaches the configured RAU 162 andis routed through the RF cross bar switch 194 back onto the uplinkcommunications medium 164U. Thus initially, an input line 228 providinga detection of the uplink communications signal 156U will be low (i.e.,a Voltage level signifying a logical “0”), which will be inverted by aninverter 230 to provide a high Voltage level to the AND gate 220. Duringthis condition, the output line 222 of the AND gate 220 passes anoscillating clock signal 232 (e.g., a 1.0 GHz signal) to the counter 224to accumulate clock pulses from the clock signal 232. The accumulatedclock pulses are provided to a fast counter 234 to provide a countrepresentative of propagation delay. The frequency of the clock signal232 should be a frequency that is much greater than the propagationdelay so that the resolution of the counter 224 will be sufficient toaccurately measurement propagation delay in the distributed antennasystem 150.

With continuing reference to FIG. 11A, once the downlink communicationssignal 156D is detected by an uplink communications signal detector 233(e.g., a power detector) at the propagation delay measurement circuit192A as a received uplink communications signal 156U, the input line 228will be set high. In response, the AND gate 220 will shut off thecounter 224. The HEC 199 can read the counter value present in the fastcounter 234 over a data bus 236 to determine the propagation delay ofthe downlink communications signal 156D. Before a subsequent propagationdelay is measured using the propagation delay measurement circuit 192A,the counter 224 is reset by the HEC 199 using a reset line 238.

FIGS. 11B-11D illustrate other examples of propagation delay measurementcircuits 192. For example, FIG. 11B illustrates an alternate propagationdelay measurement circuit 192B that is similar to the propagation delaymeasurement circuit 192A in FIG. 11A. Common elements are labeled withcommon element numbers. In the propagation delay measurement circuit192B in FIG. 11B, the output line 222 from the AND gate 220 is inputdirectly into the fast counter 234. The HEC 199 can read the countervalue present in the fast counter 234 over the data bus 236 to determinethe propagation delay of the downlink communications signal 156D. FIG.11C illustrates another alternate propagation delay measurement circuit192C that is similar to the propagation delay measurement circuit 192Ain FIG. 11A. Common elements are labeled with common element numbers. Inthe propagation delay measurement circuit 192C in FIG. 11C, a firstcounter 224A is provided as a substitute to an AND gate wherein theclock signals are accumulated by a second counter 224B on detection ofthe uplink communications signal 156U. The HEC 199 can read the countervalue present in the fast counter 234 over the data bus 236 to determinethe propagation delay of the downlink communications signal 156D.

FIG. 11D illustrates another alternate propagation delay measurementcircuit 192D that is similar to the propagation delay measurementcircuit 192A in FIG. 11A. Common elements are labeled with commonelement numbers. In the propagation delay measurement circuit 192D inFIG. 11D, the output line 222 from the AND gate 220 is input into ananalog interrogator circuit 239 to accumulate clock pulses from theclock signal 232. An output 241 from the analog interrogator circuit 239is provided to the counter 224 to provide the propagation delay. The HEC199 can read the counter value present in the counter 224 over the databus 236 to determine the propagation delay of the downlinkcommunications signal 156D.

FIG. 11E illustrates another alternate propagation delay measurementcircuit 192E that is similar to the propagation delay measurementcircuit 192D in FIG. 11D. Common elements are labeled with commonelement numbers. In the propagation delay measurement circuit 192E inFIG. 11E, the output 241 from the interrogator 239 is input into ananalog-to-digital (A/D) converter 243 to convert an analogrepresentation of accumulated clock pulses by the interrogator 239 intoa digital representation of propagation delay. The HEC 199 can read thedigital value of the propagation delay over the data bus 236 todetermine the propagation delay of the downlink communications signal156D.

The determined propagation delay may depend on the edge detect latenciesof the downlink communications signal detector 225 and uplinkcommunications signal detector 233 and the clock frequency of the clocksignal 232 in the propagation delay measurement circuits 192A-192E. Ifthe detectors 225, 232 have fixed latency, this fixed latency can becalculated and removed from the determined propagation delay. If oneassumes a purely random nature of latency, one can express the standarddeviation of latency delay.

$\sigma_{delay} = \frac{\sqrt{\sigma_{clock}^{2} + \sigma_{{tx}\_{edge}}^{2} + \sigma_{{rx}\_{edge}}^{2}}}{\sqrt{n\_ samples}}$

For example, if the clock period of the clock signal 232 is 1 nanosecond(ns), and the transmit edge (tx_edge) and receive edge (rx_edge)detection delay of the detectors 225, 233 is a standard deviation of 2ns, the final measurement standard deviation is 2.88 ns. Using 2 nsclock periods in the clock signal 232 would produce standard deviationof 3.05 ns. If one were to use a ten (10) measurement sample, theoverall standard deviation is reduced to less than approximately 1 ns.Inherent resolution of a single measurement is defined by a clockperiod, (1 or 2 ns). Resolution can be improved by taking more samples.Translated into optical fiber length, one could estimate less than 1meter (m) resolution.

It may be desired to only determine the propagation delay D3″ of thedownlink and uplink communications medium 164D, 164U in the distributedantenna system 150 in FIGS. 7 and 9. This is opposed to determining thetotal propagation delay D₃ comprised of the HEE 160 propagation delayD₃′ and the downlink and uplink communications medium 164D, 164Upropagation delay D₃″, as discussed above. In this regard, FIG. 12 is aschematic diagram of the distributed antenna system 150 in FIGS. 7 and9. However, the propagation delay measurement circuits 192 are disposedin each of the OIMs 191(1)-191(N) as propagation delay measurementcircuits 192(1)-192(N). In this regard, the propagation delaymeasurement circuits 192(1)-192(N) can measure the propagation delay ofthe communication paths between the downlink communications medium 164Dand the return uplink communications medium 164U between the OIMs191(1)-191(N) and the RAUs 162(1)-162(P). The processes previouslydescribed with regard to FIG. 10 to measure the total propagation delaysin the distributed antenna system 150 is equally applicable to thisembodiment for measuring the propagation delays in the communicationpaths between the downlink communications medium 164D and the returnuplink communications medium 164U.

Variations in propagation delays in a downlink and/or uplinkcommunications medium as a result of variations in length variations inplacement of RAUs may not be distinguishable, or may not bedistinguishable for all RAUs. Also, it may be desired to equalizepropagation delay caused by variations in propagation delays in adownlink and uplink communications medium, such as by result ofvariations in length variations in placement of RAUs. In this regard,FIG. 13 illustrates a distributed antenna system 150′ that includescommon components indicated by common element numbers with thedistributed antenna system 150 in FIG. 7. However, additionalpropagation delay can be provided in the downlink and uplinkcommunications medium 164D, 164U by a propagation delay generator 193.In this regard, a propagation delay generator 193 is provided and isconfigured to be controlled to add or otherwise change propagation delayto the downlink and uplink communications medium 164D, 164U. As anexample, the propagation delay generator 193 may contain a plurality ofdelay paths vary in propagation delay. For example, different lengths ofoptical fiber may be provided in the propagation delay generator 193 torepresent different additional propagation delays.

With continuing reference to FIG. 13, the specific downlink and uplinkcommunications medium 164D, 164U in which the additional propagationdelay is added is controlled by an optical path matrix switch 195. Theoptical path matrix switch 195 is configured to control in which path inthe propagation delay generator 193 a given downlink and/or uplinkcommunications medium 164D, 164U takes in the propagation delaygenerator 193. The switched path selected controls the amount ofadditional propagation delay added by the propagation delay generator193 to a given downlink and/or uplink communications medium 164D, 164U,and thus to the RAU 162 connected to the given downlink and uplinkcommunications medium 164D, 164U. The propagation delay generator 193and optical path matrix switch 195 may include a controller, such as amicroprocessor or microcontroller, that is configured to communicatewith the HEE 160 as an example. The HEE 160 may control the optical pathmatrix switch 195 to control the selected propagation delay among ofpropagation delays provided by the propagation delay generator 193 for agiven downlink and/or uplink communications medium 164D, 164U.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram representation of additional detailregarding the exemplary HEC 199 and/or any other microprocessor,microcontroller, or controller disclosed herein in the exemplary form ofan exemplary computer system 240 adapted to execute instructions from anexemplary computer-readable medium to perform power managementfunctions. The HEC 199 may be included in the HEE 160 as previouslydiscussed. In this regard, the HEC 199 may comprise the computer system240 within which a set of instructions for causing the HEC 199 toperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may beexecuted. The HEC 199 may be connected (e.g., networked) to othermachines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. The HEC199 may operate in a client-server network environment, or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. Whileonly a single device is illustrated, the term “device” shall also betaken to include any collection of devices that individually or jointlyexecute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one ormore of the methodologies discussed herein. The HEC 199 may be a circuitor circuits included in an electronic board card, such as a printedcircuit board (PCB) as an example, a server, a personal computer, adesktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA),a computing pad, a mobile device, or any other device, and mayrepresent, for example, a server or a user's computer.

The exemplary computer system 240 of the HEC 199 in this embodimentincludes a processing device or processor 242, a main memory 244 (e.g.,read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory(DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), etc.), and a static memory 246(e.g., flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), whichmay communicate with each other via the data bus 236. Alternatively, theprocessing device 242 may be connected to the main memory 244 and/orstatic memory 246 directly or via some other connectivity means. Theprocessing device 242 may be a controller, and the main memory 244 orstatic memory 246 may be any type of memory, each of which can beincluded in the HEE 160.

The processing device 242 represents one or more general-purposeprocessing devices such as a microprocessor, central processing unit, orthe like. More particularly, the processing device 242 may be a complexinstruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instructionset computing (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW)microprocessor, a processor implementing other instruction sets, orprocessors implementing a combination of instruction sets. Theprocessing device 242 is configured to execute processing logic ininstructions 248 for performing the operations and steps discussedherein.

The computer system 240 may further include a network interface device250. The computer system 240 also may or may not include an input 252 toreceive input and selections to be communicated to the computer system240 when executing instructions. The computer system 240 also may or maynot include an output 254, including but not limited to a display, avideo display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathoderay tube (CRT)), an alphanumeric input device (e.g., a keyboard), and/ora cursor control device (e.g., a mouse).

The computer system 240 may or may not include a data storage devicethat includes instructions 256 stored in a computer-readable medium 258embodying any one or more of the propagation delay measurementmethodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 256 mayalso reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory244 and/or within the processing device 242 during execution thereof bythe computer system 240, the main memory 244 and the processing device242 also constituting computer-readable medium. The instructions 256 mayfurther be transmitted or received over a network 260 via the networkinterface device 250.

While the computer-readable medium 258 is shown in an exemplaryembodiment to be a single medium, the term “computer-readable medium”should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any mediumthat is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructionsfor execution by the processing device and that cause the processingdevice to perform any one or more of the methodologies of theembodiments disclosed herein. The term “computer-readable medium” shallaccordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-statememories, optical and magnetic medium, and carrier wave signals.

The embodiments disclosed herein include various steps. The steps of theembodiments disclosed herein may be performed by hardware components ormay be embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used tocause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with theinstructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, the steps may beperformed by a combination of hardware and software.

The embodiments disclosed herein may be provided as a computer programproduct, or software, that may include a machine-readable medium (orcomputer-readable medium) having stored thereon instructions, which maybe used to program a computer system (or other electronic devices) toperform a process according to the embodiments disclosed herein. Amachine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing ortransmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., acomputer). For example, a machine-readable medium includes amachine-readable storage medium (e.g., read only memory (“ROM”), randomaccess memory (“RAM”), magnetic disk storage medium, optical storagemedium, flash memory devices, etc.), a machine-readable transmissionmedium (electrical, optical, acoustical or other form of propagatedsignals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.)),etc.

Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the previousdiscussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description,discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,”“determining,” “displaying,” or the like, refer to the action andprocesses of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device,that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical(electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers andmemories into other data similarly represented as physical quantitieswithin the computer system memories or registers or other suchinformation storage, transmission, or display devices.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various systems may beused with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it mayprove convenient to construct more specialized apparatuses to performthe required method steps. The required structure for a variety of thesesystems will appear from the description above. In addition, theembodiments described herein are not described with reference to anyparticular programming language. It will be appreciated that a varietyof programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of theembodiments as described herein.

Those of skill in the art would further appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithms describedin connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implementedas electronic hardware, instructions stored in memory or in anothercomputer-readable medium and executed by a processor or other processingdevice, or combinations of both. The components of the distributedantenna systems described herein may be employed in any circuit,hardware component, integrated circuit (IC), or IC chip, as examples.Memory disclosed herein may be any type and size of memory and may beconfigured to store any type of information desired. To clearlyillustrate this interchangeability, various illustrative components,blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generallyin terms of their functionality. How such functionality is implementeddepends upon the particular application, design choices, and/or designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentembodiments.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implementedor performed with a processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), anApplication Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field ProgrammableGate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A controllermay be a processor. A processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

The embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in hardware and ininstructions that are stored in hardware, and may reside, for example,in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM),Electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically ErasableProgrammable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of computer-readable medium known in the art.An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in anASIC. The ASIC may reside in a remote station. In the alternative, theprocessor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in aremote station, base station, or server.

It is also noted that the operational steps described in any of theexemplary embodiments herein are described to provide examples anddiscussion. The operations described may be performed in numerousdifferent sequences other than the illustrated sequences. Furthermore,operations described in a single operational step may actually beperformed in a number of different steps. Additionally, one or moreoperational steps discussed in the exemplary embodiments may becombined. It is to be understood that the operational steps illustratedin the flow chart diagrams may be subject to numerous differentmodifications as will be readily apparent to one of skill in the art.Those of skill in the art would also understand that information andsignals may be represented using any of a variety of differenttechnologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands,information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referencedthroughout the above description may be represented by voltages,currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, opticalfields or particles, or any combination thereof.

Further, as used herein, it is intended that terms “fiber optic cables”and/or “optical fibers” include all types of single mode and multi-modelight waveguides, including one or more optical fibers that may beupcoated, colored, buffered, ribbonized and/or have other organizing orprotective structure in a cable such as one or more tubes, strengthmembers, jackets or the like. The optical fibers disclosed herein can besingle mode or multi-mode optical fibers. Likewise, other types ofsuitable optical fibers include bend-insensitive optical fibers, or anyother expedient of a medium for transmitting light signals. An exampleof a bend-insensitive, or bend resistant, optical fiber is ClearCurve®Multimode fiber commercially available from Corning Incorporated.Suitable fibers of this type are disclosed, for example, in U.S. PatentApplication Publication Nos. 2008/0166094, now issued as U.S. Pat. No.7,787,731, and 2009/0169163, the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the embodiments set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theembodiments pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. For example, thedistributed antenna systems could include any type or number ofcommunications mediums, including but not limited to electricalconductors, optical fiber, and air (i.e., wireless transmission). Thedistributed antenna systems may distribute any type of communicationssignals, including but not limited to RF communications signals anddigital data communications signals, examples of which are described inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/892,424 entitled “Providing DigitalData Services in Optical Fiber-based Distributed Radio Frequency (RF)Communications Systems, And Related Components and Methods,”incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Multiplexing, such asWDM and/or FDM, may be employed in any of the distributed antennasystems described herein, such as according to the examples provided inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/892,424.

Therefore, it is to be understood that the description and claims arenot to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and thatmodifications and other embodiments are intended to be included withinthe scope of the appended claims. It is intended that the embodimentscover the modifications and variations of the embodiments provided theycome within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

We claim:
 1. A method of determining a location of a client device in adistributed communications system, comprising: receiving downlink radiofrequency (RF) signals at head-end equipment from a signal source;distributing the downlink RF signals from the head-end equipment over atleast one downlink communications medium to a plurality of remote unitsto be communicated to one or more client devices, the plurality ofremote units distributed over a plurality of floors in a building atdifferent locations where a distance between each of the plurality ofremote units and the head-end equipment varies; receiving, at thehead-end equipment, uplink RF signals over at least one uplinkcommunications medium from the plurality of remote units communicated bythe one or more client devices to the plurality of remote units;measuring, via at least one propagation delay measurement circuit,propagation delay of the received uplink RF signals from the one or moreclient devices in response to the downlink RF signals; and determining alocation of the one or more client devices as a function of determinedpropagation delay of the received uplink RF signals from the one or moreclient devices.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising addingpropagation delay to one or more of the at least one uplinkcommunications medium and the at least one downlink communicationsmedium.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the locationof the one or more client devices further comprises: including clientdevice identification information as uplink communication data from theone or more client devices to one or more of the plurality of remoteunits and to the head-end equipment; and correlating, using the clientdevice identification information, a particular remote unit among theplurality of remote units as the particular remote unit with which aparticular client device has established communications.
 4. The methodof claim 3, further comprising storing the client device identificationinformation in the head-end equipment.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe determining the location of the one or more client devices furthercomprises: distributing a tracking signal from the head-end equipment toone or more of the plurality of remote units to be communicated to theone or more client devices; receiving client device identificationinformation and identification of the tracking signal from a particularclient device that receives the tracking signal; and associating themeasured propagation delay with the particular client device based onidentifying the remote unit that received the tracking signal andtransmitted the client device identification information as a particularremote unit most closely located to the particular client device.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the tracking signal is a unique signal thatis associated with a particular location in the distributedcommunications system.
 7. A method of determining a location of a clientdevice in a distributed communications system, comprising: distributingdownlink radio frequency (RF) signals to one or more remote units amonga plurality of remote units over at least one downlink communicationsmedium; communicating to one or more of the plurality of remote units todistribute the received downlink RF signals to one or more clientdevices; receiving uplink RF signals from one or more remote units amongthe plurality of remote units over at least one uplink communicationsmedium, the uplink RF signals coming from a particular one of the one ormore client devices; determining a propagation delay of the receiveduplink RF signals from the particular one of the one or more clientdevices in response to the downlink RF signals using at least onepropagation delay measurement circuit; and determining a location of theparticular one of the one or more client devices as a function ofdetermined propagation delay of the received uplink RF signals from theone or more client devices.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprisingadding propagation delay to one or more of the at least one uplinkcommunications medium and the at least one downlink communicationsmedium.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining the locationof the particular client device further comprises: including clientdevice identification information as uplink communication data from theparticular client device to one or more of the plurality of remote unitsand to a head-end equipment; and correlating, using the client deviceidentification information, a particular remote unit among the pluralityof remote units as the particular remote unit with which the particularclient device has established communications.
 10. The method of claim 9,further comprising storing the client device identification informationin the head-end equipment.
 11. The method of claim 7, wherein thedetermining the location of the particular one of the one or more clientdevices further comprises: distributing a tracking signal from ahead-end equipment to one or more of the plurality of remote units to becommunicated to the one or more client devices; receiving client deviceidentification information and identification of the tracking signalfrom the particular one of the one or more client devices that receivesthe tracking signal; associating the measured propagation delay with theparticular one of the one or more client devices based on identifying aremote unit that received the tracking signal and transmitted the clientdevice identification information as a particular remote unit mostclosely located to the particular one of the one or more client devices.12. The method of claim 11, wherein the tracking signal is a uniquesignal that is associated with a particular location in the distributedcommunications system.
 13. A communications system, comprising: adistributed communications system, comprising: head-end equipmentcomprising: at least one downlink radio frequency (RF) interfaceconfigured to receive downlink RF signals from a signal source anddistribute the downlink RF signals over at least one downlinkcommunications medium to one or more remote units to be communicated toone or more client devices; and at least one uplink RF interfaceconfigured to receive uplink RF signals over at least one uplinkcommunications medium from the one or more remote units communicated bythe one or more client devices to the one or more remote units; each ofthe one or more remote units configured to: receive the downlink RFsignals from the head-end equipment over the at least one downlinkcommunications medium; communicate the received downlink RF signals tothe one or more client devices; receive the uplink RF signals from theone or more client devices; and distribute the received uplink RFsignals over the at least one uplink communications medium to thehead-end equipment; at least one propagation delay measurement circuitcommunicatively coupled to the at least one downlink RF interface andthe at least one uplink RF interface, the at least one propagation delaymeasurement circuit configured to measure propagation delay of thereceived uplink RF signals from the one or more client devices by the atleast one uplink RF interface in response to the downlink RF signals;and a controller communicatively coupled to the at least one propagationdelay measurement circuit, the controller configured to determine alocation of the one or more client devices as a function of determinedpropagation delay of the received uplink RF signals from the one or moreclient devices.
 14. The communications system of claim 13, furthercomprising a propagation delay generator configured to add propagationdelay to one or more of the at least one uplink communications mediumand the at least one downlink communications medium.
 15. Thecommunication system of claim 13, wherein the controller is configuredto: receive client device identification information as uplinkcommunication data from the one or more client devices via the one ormore remote units; correlate, using the client device identificationinformation, a particular remote unit among the plurality of remoteunits as the particular remote unit with which a particular clientdevice has established communications; and determine the location of theparticular client device based on the correlation.
 16. The communicationsystem of claim 13, wherein the head-end equipment is configured todistribute a tracking signal to the one or more remote units to becommunicated to the one or more client devices; and wherein thecontroller is configured to: receive client device identificationinformation and identification of the tracking signal from a particularclient device that receives the tracking signal; associate the measuredpropagation delay with the particular client device based on identifyingthe remote unit that received the tracking signal and transmitted theclient device identification information as a particular remote unitmost closely located to the particular client device; and determine thelocation of the particular client device based on the association.